Developers Warranty on New Builds during Coronavirus Epidemic

donnaoliver

I purchased my new property June 2019 and had 2yrs warranty cover on all snagging. I have emailed the developer but they have informed me "At this stage all outstanding issues are non-urgent, so with the current Covid transmission rate we will not be carrying any non-urgent snagging."

Does this mean my warranty will be extended or am I liable to pay for all the snagging after the 2 yrs is up.

Also what tier does my property have to be in before the snagging can commence? My main issue is the underfloor heating which is causing the pressure of the boiler to continuously drop losing heating and hot water. Would this be classed as an urgent issue and could I insist the developer resolves this immediately?

I want to know whether I can get the warranty extended and if so how I would do this? Thanks

[Deleted User]

What has the developer said?

Thrugelmir

Have you had the boiler/heating system serviced? 

MattMattMattUK

donnaoliver said:

Does this mean my warranty will be extended or am I liable to pay for all the snagging after the 2 yrs is up.

Normally issues raised within the warranty period would be required to be rectified, even if not during the warranty period.

donnaoliver said:

Also what tier does my property have to be in before the snagging can commence? 

It entirely depends on the supplier, even under lockdown those works are allowed to take place, but it does not mean that the supplier has do conduct the works.

donnaoliver said:

My main issue is the underfloor heating which is causing the pressure of the boiler to continuously drop losing heating and hot water. 

Have you taken normal options to have a look at this, on wet underfloor heating this is not normally possible unless the whole of the heating circuit is under pressurised. Have you bled the system (at multiple/all points) and, the re-pressurised the system, as mentioned above have you had the system serviced annually?

donnaoliver said:

Would this be classed as an urgent issue and could I insist the developer resolves this immediately?

Urgent or not, it does not mean that they are compelled to visit immediately. So no, you can not "insist".

donnaoliver said:

I want to know whether I can get the warranty extended and if so how I would do this? Thanks

If the developer offers this then yes, but they generally do not.

What do you class as "snagging"? This would not typically be a snagging issue, but an issue with the warranty provided either by the installer or the product manufacturer, rather than a "snagging warranty". 

donnaoliver

The developer has said that the works aren't urgent so can't help at the moment. My concern is that my warranty runs out in May and the Covid situation isn't likely to get much better by then, so I will be liable for the costs.

I have had the boiler looked at 3 times and they have confirmed is it definitely a leak, not an issue with the boiler. Boiler has been serviced also.

The developer is a small company and others neighbours have recently told me that they have ignored their calls and emails with issues they have had. I don't believe they will extend the warranty if they can get away with it. 

I have a list of snagging that needs doing, ie wall filled and repainted, sealant to be touched in due to the movement in the property but I have heard that the under floor heating inspection and correcting is very expensive and this is my main concern. 

I have been informed that the developer has installed the heating, so I doubt the manufacturer will cover this on a warranty. 

MattMattMattUK

donnaoliver said:

The developer has said that the works aren't urgent so can't help at the moment. My concern is that my warranty runs out in May and the Covid situation isn't likely to get much better by then, so I will be liable for the costs.

I would recommend that you speak to Citizen's Advice, there may be a specific template that you can use to raise the issue, but again, normally when an issue is raised within the warranty period it remains covered after the end of the warranty period. That does however depend on if the company goes bust or not. Is your property covered by the NHBC warranty scheme?
https://www.nhbc.co.uk/builders/warranties-and-cover

donnaoliver said:

I have had the boiler looked at 3 times and they have confirmed is it definitely a leak, not an issue with the boiler. Boiler has been serviced also.

Have "they" confirmed where the leak is, eg is it on the fittings around the boiler, the manifold, do you have damp anywhere from where the water is leaking? Are "they" the builder, or an independent third-party?

donnaoliver said:

The developer is a small company and others neighbours have recently told me that they have ignored their calls and emails with issues they have had. I don't believe they will extend the warranty if they can get away with it. 

As above, virtually no builder will extend the warranty, or offer the option to, that does not mean that issues raised within the period stop being covered once the warranty period end. However the issue might be that many small developers are going bust, they might not be "ignoring" the calls and emails, the might be either entirely on furlough, or in liquidation.

donnaoliver said:

I have a list of snagging that needs doing, ie wall filled and repainted, sealant to be touched in due to the movement in the property but I have heard that the under floor heating inspection and correcting is very expensive and this is my main concern. 

Some will be covered under snagging, other bits might not be, document everything (text and photos) in a single document (ideally PDF) and send them a copy via email and recorded post. Under-floor heating can be very expensive to fix if the issue is in the pipes set into the floor because it involves ripping up the flooring and sometimes they are embedded in the flooring below that, but the most usual issue with underfloor heading is with the manifold which is usually in a cupboard and fairly easy to fix.

donnaoliver said:

I have been informed that the developer has installed the heating, so I doubt the manufacturer will cover this on a warranty. 

The manufacturer will have a warranty on the parts, installation will be separate, so if the part fails that is covered by the manufacturer's warranty, if the issue was caused by an installation fault that sits with the developer. 

mattyprice4004

Make sure you've emailed a copy of the list to the developer, so they can't dispute that you raised the issues within the 2 year period.

donnaoliver

No not covered by NHBC and yes another concern is the company may go under.
The developer employs his own builders and he said he will get someone to look at the issue back in March but with Covid happening they never came to investigate. The developer said that they can do pressure tests on areas of the flooring to pin point the leak and not to call anyone else to investigate the issue as it could be very expensive.
I have emailed Citizens Advice, so I hope they can help.

donnaoliver

mattyprice4004 said:

Make sure you've emailed a copy of the list to the developer, so they can't dispute that you raised the issues within the 2 year period.

Yes I have done this thanks you.